The Mughals

The Mughal Empire (1526-1857)

The Mughal Empire was one of the great empires of the early modern world, and in South Asia, second only to the Maurya Empire in size. Although beginning as a Turko-Mongol dynasty, intermarriage with Rajput and Persian families quickly turned it into an Indo-Persian dynasty and the culture was thoroughly Indo-Persian, in many ways continuing the Delhi Sultanate.

 

A very brief history

The empire was created by Babur, a descendant of Timur (Tamerlane) who was looking to build a realm for himself. Using Kabul as a base of operations, he conquered much of what is now Afghanistan and invaded northern India from 1526-30. After some military and dynastic twists and tuns, the empire was firmly established under his grandson Akbar the Great (ruled 1556-1605) who extended the empire, which would reach its greatest expanse early in the eighteenth century. Losing territory to the new rival Maratha Empire, secessionist kingdoms, and the British East India Company, and it ended in 1858 when Britain assumed direct rule.

 

 

 

Akbar the Great (r. 1566-1605)

Much of the tone of the great Mughal Empire was set by Akbar I, known as Akbar the Great, who was a great military leader, administrator and reformer, and religiously devout and tolerant. Akbar was able to forge a religiously and culturally pluralistic empire that would endure for more than a century, by providing roles for Hindu nobles and administrators and respecting other religions and by broadening the Indo-Persian culture of the Delhi Sultanate. It didn't hurt that he had a powerful personality, and was able to cultivate loyalty to him, and to the empire, that could override local loyalties.

A devout Muslim, Akbar suppressed those he saw as Muslim heretics, but was broadly tolerant to other religions; he even allowed newly arrived Jesuit missionaries to preach Christianity. He used his marriages - his harem - to build links with Rajput rulers, treating his new Hindu in-laws just as he did the Muslim ones. He abolished the jizya tax on non-Muslims, putting all inhabitants of the empire on the same footing. He held intellectual and religious conversations with Hindu and Jain priests. He encouraged literary works written in Sanskrit to be translated into other languages, and patronized libraries and even tried to set up a school system.

While promoting a pluralistic society, he sought to put the Empire on a standardized administration foundation. Coinage was standardized, based on the rupee (silver coin) and dam (copper coin).

 

Akbar reorganized the main departments of the central government. He divided the empire into subahs (provinces), each run by a subhadar (governor); initially there were 12, later 15. Each subah was divided into sarkars (districts), which were further subdivided. He also made a radical change in his tax system. Previously, land was taxed based on fixed rates; now, assessments were determined based on average prices over ten years, and based upon the crop grown.

 

The government also invested in infrastructure, building a road system and supporting irrigation systems. There was even a sort of Public Works department charged with keeping up the roads. With strong central support, and low customs duties, the Mughal Empire became probably the leading manufacturer of the world; it's been estimated that the economy circa 1600 made up 1/5 to 1/4 of the world economy. Cotton, silks, indigo, opium, and steel were exported east and west, as were spices and other trade goods. There was little demand for European manufactured goods - the cost was too high and quality too low - and so European traders paid in silver (from the New World colonies). Population grew, and the average living standard was higher than that in Britain and Europe until the 18th century. In terms of early industrialization and agricultural innovation, the Mughal Empire was the world's leader.

 

Mughal Art & Architecture

Mughal painting blended Persian styles with native South Asian ones. Mughal painting was more realistic than Persian styles, and used rich colors and decorations. Babur encouraged the style and it was expanded by Akbar; one of the most famous works was the illustration of the Tutinama (Tales of the Parrot), a 14th century Persian story:

 

The manuscript is now in the Cleveland Museum of Art, and you can flip through it: http://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.279 Links to an external site.

 

By the time of Akbar's grandson, the age of creativity was replaced by one of rigid formalism; still beautiful, but not as creative.

Far more people are aware of Mughal architecture, though they may not realize it. Mughal architecture, like painting, blended Persian with native South Asian patterns, and are generally marked by large domes, slender minarets, and large gateways with delicate decoration. The early version is the tomb of Humayun, son of Babur and father of Akbar, the first garden tomb (built 1565-71):

 

 

Another example is the Agra Fort, built by Akbar in the city of Agra, the capital of the Mughals until 1638 (when Akbar's grandson Shah Jahan moved it to Delhi):

 

Most famous of all, also in the city of Agra, is the  Taj Mahal ('Crown of the Palace'). It was built by Shah Jahan (Akbar's grandson, r. 1628-58) for his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal as her tomb. It was built from 1631-43. It is a massive complex, and now is a World Heritage Site.

Watch the following documentary - it's bit sensationalist but interesting - and then take Mughal Empire Quiz

Secrets Of TheTaj Mahal- National Geographic Links to an external site.